Castleton Split Over Town Office

Castleton's municipal office building on Main Street was built in the 1800s.

For
years Castleton's town offices were located in a historic red brick building in
the heart of the village. But mold problems and other safety concerns forced
the town offices and police department upstairs to move into temporary quarters
last year. Local residents remain split over whether to build a new town office
or restore the old one and they'll vote on the issue again Tuesday.

Last
March, voters overwhelmingly said no to spending $2 million on a new town hall
and fire station about a mile west of the village center. This go round,
they'll vote on whether or not to spend about half that to remove mold and
renovate the old town office.

"We should definitely be back in this historic
building," says Holly Hitchcock,
President of the Castleton Historical Society. "Not only is the main street a
national registered district and Castleton renowned for its fabulous
architecture" she says, "but this is a fabulous building. If we put a little money into it, it will
last forever."

Castleton
voters will be asked whether or not to approve two bonds totaling not more than
$1.2 million. If they're
approved, Hitchcock says the town can access $240,000 that's been promised
from the Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation, which her late aunt founded. Hitchcock says those funds would offset
taxpayer spending on the project.

She
says keeping the town offices in the historic village would also fight sprawl.
"They were determined to build a new concrete box outside of town last March
which does nothing but suck the heart out of the center of town." Hitchcock says "we voted that down
resoundingly and it's like they're just not listening."

But
Jim Leamy, a member of the Castleton Select Board says spending $1 million
on a building that doesn't meet all their needs is a mistake. "It is
our feeling that this is not the best option for the future of the community,"
he says.

Leamy
says Castleton not only needs a town office, but offices for its police
department and a new fire station as well.

He
says addressing all those functions separately will cost the town more and he
feels like local residents are not getting their money's worth with the
proposed renovations. "It would only renovate the first and second floor," he
says. "It would not deal at all with the basement or the attic or roof. There's no room for expansion because of
limitations on the lot." Leamy says, "It would continue to fragment the
municipal services that are provided in the town."

Castleton
Town Manager Charles Jacien says the old building would provide the town and
the police with adequate space. But for
a town that's growing, he says it doesn't give them any flexibility. "With a
new building we would have adequate space for expansion to include fire and the
ambulance and emergency services."
Jacien adds "we'd have adequate parking; it would be more energy
efficient, handicap accessible on all levels.
So for those reasons," he says, "looking at the needs of the town now
and well in the future - our select board has taken a position that it is
against these two bond warnings and against putting any money into that
building."

Castleton
resident Jim Perry says he hopes voters will approve the restoration bonds as
he likes having the town offices in the central village. While he agrees the fire department needs a
new home, he says that issue can be raised separately at another time.